Saving purgatory: Is it real, or a medieval poet's invention?

Vol. 9, No. 14

July 12, 2024

On the cover: A PBS series recently suggested purgatory was the “invention” of 14th-century Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Could it be true? Does such a place — somewhere between heaven and hell — really exist? On Page 10, contributing editor Mike Aquilina details purgatory’s biblical roots in the Old and New Testaments, all of which point to the hope and forgiveness God promises “in the age to come” to believers.